Safe Air - Phasing out of Bristol Freighters in 1985 and closing down in 1990

Safe Air (a subsidiary of NAC  (then Air NZ post merger) from 1972) was once a stalwart operator of both Wellington and Blenheim airports, and I grew up with the drone of Bristol Freighters taking off from Wellington Airport multiple times each day, with their piston engines and bumble bee shape, and less frequently the quiet but larger and visually appealing Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy aircraft with their bulbous nose and twin tails, and as the only four-engined turboprops to fly regularly to and from Wellington, besides occasional visits by RNZAF Hercules (since the demise of the NAC Vickers Viscounts 1in 1975). It is remarkable how important air cargo was for decades across Cook Strait, reflecting a time when shipping was largely not containerised, and the inter island ferries had little competition for freight.  Today most domestic air cargo goes in the belly of scheduled passenger services, with the exception of air cargo Boeing 737s flown by Parcelair between several main centres.

First is an article about the end of the Bristol Freighters in 1985. The Bristol Freighters were unpressurised, and mostly flew freight inter island between Wellington and Blenheim (and before the opening of Wellington Airport in 1959 flew freight from Paraparaumu, under contract for the Railways Department).  The Bristol Freighters also operated until 1982, regular (subsidised contracted to the Department of Internal Affairs) services to the Chatham Islands, carrying passengers as well. This is more fully described in the 3rd Level blog here.  Passengers were also carried in small numbers across Cook Strait if accompanying freight such as cars, but the experience was far from pleasant, with earmuffs supplied in the latter years. For aircraft manufactured 1951-1958, the Bristol Freighters operated for a long time in NZ, and for some years Safe Air was the world's largest operators of Bristol Freighters. 

The second article is about the withdrawal of the Argosy aircraft, which primarily operated freight services between the main centres, including overnight between Auckland and Christchurch. The Argosy were noted for having a purpose-built passenger capsule that was inserted into the pressurised cabin, to carry passengers on the Chatham Islands route.  The Chatham's Island service ended in 1990 following decision by the Government to cease subsidies for the route, the age of the Argosy aircraft and a significant downturn in air cargo demand.  Air NZ chose to cease Safe Air's airline operations that year. The Chathams were subsequently serviced by Mount Cook Airline HS748s on a commercial basis, but also saw the small local airline Air Chathams acquire aircraft of sufficient size to fly to the North and South Islands, which it continues today (Mount Cook Airline discontinued services in 1996 as it was phasing out the HS748 and had decided the replacement ATR72 aircraft could not operate the service economically).

  

NAC Air Freight

 

Are you 'light-headed' about Air Freight?

Think Big Think Heavy

Argosy

NAC Air Freight System

This leaflet was published by the National Airways Corporation before the merger in 1978, promoting air freight, with a big focus on its Safe Air division, for the haulage of larger freight consignments.  The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy aircraft (of which there were only two operated by Safe Air) were able to haul 12,000 kgs and operated between Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.  

NAC focused not just on speed, but also the need for much less packaging and savings on pilferage (a known issue with railways in the 1970s), insurance and warehousing.  The leaflet ends with a complex depiction of the NAC air freight network, which is almost entirely passenger routes (including those by Mount Cook Airlines and Stewart Island Air Services).  Unfortunately for anyone picking up this leaflet, there are no contact details for an NAC Air Freight Representative, so presumably it is for those that are already NAC Air Freight customers?

Air New Zealand domestic timetable October 1986 - March 1987 Part Two - The timetable

Without going into details about the flight timetable, noting it included several airports no longer served by Air New Zealand today (Oamaru, Kaitaia, Westport, Whakatane for example), Boeing 767 services consisted on average of one flight a day between Auckland and Wellington, three flights a week Auckland and Christchurch, with one flight a week with a Boeing 747 on that route. One flight a week from Christchurch to Wellington was operated by a Boeing 767. Thus the availability of Pacific Class (Business Class) on domestic services was very limited indeed!

The timetable has direct flights depicted rather simply, with a large series of connections. What was good about a printed timetable was the ease of seeing what services would operate on different days, and what connections might be available (but of course price of fares depends on availability which would only be known by contacting a travel agent).

Note the timetable includes timetables for multiple other airlines that Air New Zealand was co-ordinating with at the time notably:

• Mount Cook Airline (which Air New Zealand owned a significant shareholding in)
• Eagle Airways (which Air New Zealand ultimately bought)
• Safe Air (which supplied passenger service to the Chatham Islands using an Armstrong Whitworth Argosy passenger pod inserted in the freighter's fuselage)
• Bell Air (operating Auckland to Whakatane)
• Southern Air (operating from Invercargill to Stewart Island)

Auckland departures

Auckland departures

Auckland and Blenheim departures

Blenheim and Christchurch departures

Christchurch departures

Christchurch departures

Christchurch and Dunedin departures

Dunedin departures

Gisborne departures

Gisborne and Hamilton departures

Hamilton and Hokitika departures

Hokitika and Invercargill departures

Invercargill and Kaitaia departures

Kaitaia and Napier departures

Napier and Nelson departures

Nelson departures

Nelson and New Plymouth departures

New Plymouth, Oamaru and Palmerston North departures

Palmerston North and Rotorua departures

Rotorua and Taupo departures

Taupo and Tauranga departures

Tauranga and Timaru departures

Timaru and Wanganui departures

Wanganui and Wellington departures

Wellington departures

Wellington, Westport and Whakatane departures

Whakatane and Whangarei departures

Mount Cook Airline timetable

Mount Cook Airline timetable

Mount Cook Airline and Safe Air timetable

Bell Air and Eagle Airways timetables

Eagle Airways and Southern Air timetables

Last Safe Air Argosy

Last Safe Air Argosy flight

Straits Air Freight Express (SAFE Air) was a mainstay of cross Cook Strait air services for decades.  Part of its service over the years is the little known New Zealand Railways Air Services which survived until 1983, but SAFE Air was a key air freight provider beyond that. In 1972 SAFE Air was bought by the National Airways Corporation (NAC), so it was inherited by Air New Zealand.  The Argosy fleet operated from 1968 primarily longer distance freight flights, and for some time (1982-1990) operated passenger services to the Chatham Islands with a custom built pressurised passenger capsule. 

As a Wellingtonian, the sound of the two Armstrong Whitworth Argosy's was a mainstay of SAFE Air services, distinct from the older noisier Bristol Freighters, with their distinct appearance and gentle drone.